Rams Do Business; Report from Ravens Nest

the Shield. The Company co ed softball team went down in the finals to Barney's nooner'st to ten dug ourselves a whole deep hole, felon nothing and crawled their way back, scored ten runs in the last what was it two innings? Was two innings? I think rally came up painfully short. Our great player on deck as the tying run, when our one of our top girls got caught off first base, gotten run down, tagged out. It's like Babe Ruth when he got thrown out trying to steal second in the

World Series. All just like all those years ago. Wait, like rounding first or something, trying to go to second, trying to make something happen. And uh, because we are listeners, have been interested in the Shield for three seasons. Now this feels like the right time for a press conference. Any thoughts about the season and we have a lot to get to today and the right of the podcast, But the most important thing is what happened with the

Shield and Wednesday? Still take some questions? Quick press conference? All right right here? All right there? Can we start with your decision at picture skip. A smattering of blogs, vlogs and talk radio outlets are pinning you for starting Brooke from a original content on the Mound over a surging Matt ten. Would you do it again? I do it again? Yes? I really thought Brooke, although she had missed the bulk of the season, Um, she had carried us in a lot of ways to our first two

titles on the Bump. And it was not an easy decision, And I worked with my consigliari West Um trying to come up with the right move. And maybe it was the right move. Maybe if Maddie's on the mound, um the same outcome, we lose. But I felt good going with what I thought was our best team. Uh, West, you haven't any dain to that we had reached a decision that we would have been fined with either of

those people pitching. That pitching was not our issue. We have other issues, but pitching was not Either one of those persons would have done the job just far. Next, we gotta score more than ten runs, and I was gonna right there. But I had a big softball for you. But that answer begs the question, well, what are what are the issues? Our leadoff hit her started the game

over three, including striking out to start the game. Now, West, you you're a warrior, and I want people to know that, Chris, that just shows you what time a man he is that he's gonna say that. Yes, slow start, you finished strong. You played a big part in the seventh inning rally, played very good defense. It was you were not the reason we lost. But we didn't play our cleanest game. We did not play a great defensive game. We didn't pitch our best game. But it wasn't just that we

left runs on the field. We let run score that shouldn't have scored. We just didn't play our a game. We were the best team in the league. We just weren't the best team on Wednesday night. And that's sports anything else. It was execution. We just failed to execute. Got to ask this. I ken I spoke with a source downstairs who told me there was an aura of this sort of might be our last go around after

the loss. You skip of toyed with retirement for years verbally, I don't know if that's sort of a cat and string operation with the press. Where are you Are you coming back next season? Um, I'm not ready to answer that right now. It's a very emotional time. It's it was one of the toughest losses of my career. Absolutely, I think we were all very confident. Some people I know in the media thought was that we were overconfident, which I don't think was that was not That was

not the issue at all. Over confidence was not an issue. Were you were more because usually you always talked down your expectations and then the last week you guys, you you were talking them up. That I just wasn't an issue. I don't think it was one. More for coach quick follow up we quit. I mean, any thoughts, let's how

you you do come back next year? But with a new wave of NFL media employees on the team, Let's say William mc ginnis, La Danian, Tomlinson and maybe Dion Sanders to systematically drop an a bomb on these Hammond Eggers that are populated the rest cut you off right there. That's a clown question, bro, It's a clown question. I love my team, I support my team. This is a great team that has heart for days and we didn't get it done. But it's this is not a tear down.

This is not the end of the shield. Um, maybe the end of skip. And I don't know about the third base West. I know you said some things after the game, was about a potential retirement. Any thoughts, uh that you have on that. Well, my skills have it wrote it and um, physically weaker. It's just not I'm just not as good as I was a few years ago, and it doesn't feel good to be one of the reasons we lost. That's a new feeling for me in softball.

So it's sort of a wake up call and it gives me a greater appreciations for say Brett Farve or Brend Roethlisberger or Gronk where you say after the season, I'm probably hanging them up and then maybe you get a few months to think about it. But I feel like I'm gonna leave my spikes on the back of the dugout. Maybe these are maybe you guys are the two thousand seventeen Patriots though you started the you know, press release saying the dynasty is over. But who knows.

Maybe it's just just winning next year and it's just one little championship loss. That's part of the greater story. The shield is at a crossroads. I think that is a good way to put it all right, coming up on today's show and pressor um, oh, this is a good thing. Rosenthal remembers a return to the Ravens nest, Like, what is that plan this segment? What is this? Coming up later today, Greg flew across the country and the NFL's dime thanks Rog and um watched camp and I

we haven't I don't know about you guys. I haven't cost a lot of money. By the way, it costs a lot of money. Um, I haven't talked to you at all about your trips, so class on the way back very expensive. That was a nice drop, and I'm happy with the title he came up with. But it

just makes me really miss Greggy does Dallas. A lot of people speculated we had mentioned during our our tour of conference rooms across NFL media here when the studio is being refurbished, whether the Debbie does Dallas or Greggy does Dallas segment was what god us almost fired. No, now we not at all. A semi started talking to about that, but we were never threatened our job. So anyway, Greg was in Baltimore, his boys, the Ravens. Um I

got to see his boy, Lamar. Maybe we'll talk a little bit about your making the lead piece a Lamar Jackson. A lot to get to over there, um As we jumped back into the Ravens nest. But before that, what we're hearing presented by Sirius XM. Let's do some news. Ricky. We're in Tampa Bay for inside training camp. You heard that saying when in Rome, do as the Romans do. How about in Tampa. In Tampa, when you're in Tampa, you do as the Bucks do. I got my b

a head. You're jealous. You gotta have one of these things. Everybody's gotta have one of these things, but it has one. I have one. Now, we got a great show for you. We're live at practice. No, not that rapper, I'm talking about Ian Rappaport. With all the breaking news around the League. Nobody does it better than him. And then our host Andrew says, Siliano, He's been all over the world. He goes everywhere. Just follow him on social media. I'm plugging

there and remember that. Okay, but he's here in Tampa and you're lucky to have him live NFL Network inside Trading Camp. I'll see you later. We need him to hype us. We need this this kind of treatment from Charlie Castle. Charlie Castle a real person. GM, he's got rings, he's got a great life. But sometimes I it amazes me when I just I watched him in action and the things that he says. We should get him on

the show. This clip, by the way, if you if you look at his Twitter feed, this clip took place the entire time he unfurled that speech wearing a red you know, Bruce arians cat that that's what he was referring to. But through the jaws of a gigantic like dinosaur mouth, the Tampa Bay fish um skull and bones. I mean, it was it was a check it out. It was the whole thing, all right. Let's get into

the news starting right here. In Los Angeles, the Rams did some business signing coach Sean McVeigh to a five year extension UH and also extending general manager Less Snead. McVeigh is thirty three years old now under contract through three. It wasn't a situation where they had to get a deal done right now, but they know what they have

in McVeigh. Um Greg who when he got hired was I would to call him an unknown, but he was obviously untested and it it was a bit of a leap of faith and it turned out to go gangbusters. To use a check is um he's twenty four and eight. That the thing of the disappointment coming off the Super Bowl loss is overlooking, like how fast and quickly they established themselves as really the most consistent team right now

in the NFC. And the reason why I like not that they need, you know, any kudos for signing McVeigh. It's obviously safe, but he seems so good at all the other things. He gets so much credit for scheming, but he seems so good at all the other things that you know, a head coach is required to do, which is managing his staff, managing the players, man organization, managing the day to day things that come with being

a coach. They I think it did need to happen now, But because Mike Silver reported that McVeigh was believed to be the lowest paid coach in the league after the Super Bowl and was less getting less money than Matt Laflour and Zach Taylor. So there was it. Basically, they came to him right after that game and said we're going to get something done and makes complete sense. Very smart and they and they say West And in baseball they say it's vital to be very strong up the

middle catcher, which a shortstop center field. Same thing in football with you have to be strong ownership, the general manager, the coach, the quarterback. And that's why the Rams are where they are. For the past three years, they went from being a laughing stock organization to sort of the new paradigm for success in the NFL. And the dozen years before McVeigh they won thirty one point five percent of their games. Since they hired him, they've won seventy

of their games. Doesn't get much better than that. Let's need a you know, a nice decision. I guess by ownership who you know. It was not a popular ownership group and one of the least successful ownership groups in the NFL, and until mc they came on a good decision, uh to keep less Sneed in pair him with McVeigh because I think it's clearly one A, one B that less Need is fulfilling mcveigh's vision. But they really worked

well together. Sneed was on the ropes too before McVeigh was kind of like his Hail Mary in a way, and it could not have worked out. He'd be like a cat on his fourth life right now, right, eight and a half maybe, I mean, he wasn't that far first first several years, right, but he also you're saying he died eight times. I don't know if he also took over he also took over what was literally the worst three year run in NFL history before Jeff Fisher got there. So I was like, yeah, he was doing

okay before. Okay, I'm just saying he's at about live four and a half, five lives. Would you mind the difference goes six? No, it's too many, I mean, and I don't even believe that that's true of cats to begin with. I think that was a bunch of malarkey. Well, you had like nine cats in your backyard at one point. They're all gone. Did you multiply them by nine? No, but I don't know. They were taken out of my household thankfully. Alright, so the Rams do business. You know

who wants to do business? Michael Thomas, the Star Saints wide receiver. Uh. He wants a new deal. Um. He wants to get paid like what he is, which is a superstar. He's in the superstar club, which means a lot to him. But he's a two thousand and sixteen second round pick, which means he doesn't make a lot of money. He makes one point one million. Uh, as he enters the he's set to make one point eight one point one for eight million. He's enters the final

year of his rookie contract. Uh. He wants to get paid like a star, and that's why he's holding out. Mike Garret, Folo and Ian Report. Rapp Report reported that Thomas did not report to training camp with teammates. He's seeking a new deal and West he's staying away until he gets one. Here we go again. He reportedly wants at least twenty million a year, which would make him the highest paid wide receiver in the NFL, and for stretches of last season, he was the best receiver in

the NFL. I thought Sean Payton had an interesting point when he basically said, because of the collecting a bargaining agreement they signed in two thousand eleven that got rid of the rookie wage scale, we don't see rookie holdouts. Instead, we see those holdouts happen at the end of the rookie deals. And because the CBA's ending after this season, Uh, it makes negotiations a little trickier, uh, in terms of how you can push money out into the future and

what the next CBA is gonna look like. Like players that are signing five six year deals right now are taking a big risk that by the end of that they're really gonna end up looking underpaid. I think it's a perfect time to have a hole that this guy, I mean, Michael Thomas might be the most in shape player in the NFL. Like, if I'm the Saints, do you really care that he misses three weeks of training camp.

I don't think it'll matter. It sounds like they're not that far apart in that, I mean they I don't see the lingering beyond this this summertime period. But you do have to you have to Julio Jones still sitting out there. Well, I feel like we're into year eight of talking about him getting a contract extension at some point, and you've got tyreek Hill potentially too, So there's gonna be you have to see where those numbers come in

when they do. Julio Jones wants a deal and Mark Cooper a j Green Beckham by the way, your boy Odell Beckham. Mark currently the highest paid receiver. He makes eighteen mill a season, and Thomas wants more. By the way, we've been tracking this Zekiel Elliott hold out situation, and you know, we have a lot of reporters here at NFL Network and this is money time for the network. They like to this is where they flex and they show we have feet on the ground everywhere and we're

covering every breath and every movement in training camp. Yesterday was a great example where Jane Slater goes viral in the news industry by reporting that Zeke was not on the team on the plane to ox and Hard for training camp, and sure enough, he did not attend his physical or the team's conditioning run Friday at Cowboys training camp, which opens. He is indeed holding out there was talk Mark that if talks between the Cowboys and Zeke, we're

moving in a positive direction. Um, even if a deal didn't get done, he was going to potentially show up. I don't know if this means that things are not going well, but there's no deal in place and Zeke is staying away from now. These are one of these stories I get. I get that we all eyes on this and it's the it's the perfect storm of the Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott, and it's we're looking for all

this to magnify it. But wake me up in a month, because I feel like the only holdout that truly concerns me if I'm a fan right now, would be Melvin Gordon. The rest of them, I just am I wrong? Should I be feeling? I was losing sleep at night over the idea that the Cowboys are gonna let Zeke Elliott go weeks into the regular season unsigned or hold feeling is everyone gets signed by that first week of the season. It's gonna get up. That's how I would Chargers fans

could be. I'd be really surprised if they sign Ezekie Elliot. I think he's just gonna have to cave because I think Dak Prescott gets paid for but I think he's gonna hold out game. That's what I'm saying that I don't know, That's what I'm saying. I don't know if they can figure out some other way to get him into camp or if he's just happy to skip a

couple of weeks of camp, which isn't surprising. I'd be like, just like a little bit concerned with Zeke because he's shown up to camp out of you know, relatively out of shape multiple times, and he's been very durable. But if he does show up out of shape and he steps on the field week one with the hamstring monster comes get him, I'd be a little nervous. As a

Dallas fan. And Melvin Gordon I have to say, like, I don't know whose agent is or what what's going on behind the scenes, but I I kind of worry for this guy a little bit because he seems to be going to and there's another report out there that he's willing to hold out into the season. A Chargers team that has pieces there that you could easily see them getting out to a good start in the running game not being a problem for them, and then he's kind of left in a add why he seems to

be vulnerable right now? I agree. I don't know if he knows, and if I was, you know, Trent Williams is the other one, because you know he's a left tackle and Eric Flowers right now is your left tackle. I know. And no one expects the Redskins to be

any good. But when you're when you're replacing the best player on your team with Eric Flowers, that feels like when you have the rare situation where you have a friend who was in a long term relationship with someone they broke up, but they're still because they're at the least they're living together after they've broken up. The Redskins and Trent Williams, that's how I see that. Do you think is made out of soley hamstrings or is it like a beating heart with hamstrings around it or what?

That sounds pretty scary. I think it's more like a gnome that pops out of the dairy and it just like slaps you in the hamstring and then like goes back undergrounds like like a whack a mole. Bad news for the New York Giants, of course, they are looking to move on from the O B j Era and Sterling. Shepherd is a big part of that. Uh. He just got a four year, forty one million dollar contract extension in April, but he will be shut down for the

time being after being diagnosed with a thumb fracture. It happened on Thursday at practice. Will be evaluated on a week to week basis. UH. We talked about Julian Edelman up in New England also dealing with what I believe is a fracture um UM, but that happened obviously before this. They think they're okay with the Patriots with the idea that he'll be back ready for Week one. We'll see with Shepherd based on the timing of this and UM.

Mike Garrafolo reported that this this has the potential to go right up against the start of the season, so he could miss Week one against the Cowboys six weeks from Sunday, and the news didn't get any better. On the same day that Shepherd got hurt. Corey Coleman, the former Brown's first round pick, trying to get his career on track and in line for a big role with the Giants, he tore his a c L You know,

try to speak to the football gods. Last week they didn't listen um and that was largely Jets spaced, so I think they've listened so far. Knock on wood, but I wanted everyone to stay healthy. It's not working out that way. Uh. Coleman towards a c L and he will obviously be out for the season. That usually involves reconstructive knee surgery. Bad break for Coleman and he had they were saying he had a chance to be the number three receiver. I believe he was actually penciled into

that role. Cody Latimer played pretty well at the end of the year, so I don't see a big drop off there now both of the probably one of those guys was gonna get cut. One of them would be a number three receiver. I don't think they're that bad at receiver with Tate Shepard and Ingram if those guys are healthy, and Barkley essentially as a fourth receiver, Like I know, they don't have Odell Beckham, but of all the things on the Giants team, that's not even close

to my top concern. It's in fact, that might be one of the better position groups. And Corey Coleman a total wild card. I don't know. I mean in the immediate actually was like, oh, this position group is you know, falling apart. It's like, let's see if you get anything from him. You it's a surprise, Shepherd. It's annoying because he's a guy I've always thought put up way bigger numbers than he has, and this is the year to

do it. And so it's a rough start from I would say, we don't go to the fantasy Extravaganza for a few weeks, but maybe a guy that's gonna now drop in your drafts potentially you could get as a bargain. Would they be talking about that on the fantasy Corner? Shepherd? I thought you were going to make a joke and say Eli Manning may be available. And I mean the corner. The Corner is a a rough and tumble, violent environment. So you know you're getting words out as quick as

you can in the subject terror is unknown. I heard some rumors actually that gentrification had hit the corner, that people were like a little upset that there's like a lot of like there's a lot of places that are like barbershop slash beard slash. They serve a drink to you at the same time, like it's I mean, it was muggings and shootings before, you prefer that it was like fourteen Starbucks, Right, it's just like a coffee shot, just a little bit. Well, if that's the case, it

would be a different tone to the report. We can't say for sure we've done going on at the Fantasy corner. You'll have to wait until about three or four weeks until the Fantasy Extra Extravaganza returns moving and by the way, the Giants are working out wide receivers as you might imagine too. Kelvin Benjamin reportedly one of them one of Dave Gettleman's old draft picks. Oh that sounds like where

he's gonna end up. Okay. Report from Tyler Dunn, who works for Bleacher Report these days, wrote about the forty Niners. This one's interesting less the current scouting staff, according to Dunn, is feeling increasingly marginalized by head coach Kyle Shannon Shanahan and his coaching crew, who are quote far far more

empowered on draft day. Um. This story comes at a time when the Niners this is a big pivotal season for them and their leadership and some of the stuff that came out of this feature makes you think that

there's a significant unrest behind the scenes. Well maybe I sort of read it as Tyler Dunn got one of these disgruntled guys to talk, and then now it seems like a soap opera when it's really There are tensions in almost every front office between the scouting staff and the coaching staff come draft time, and the coaches, especially a guy like Kyle Shannon, who has more power than most coaches because he had a six year contract, so

there's a lot more job security there. But it's basically the coach has got who they wanted and we didn't get who we want. That happens in every front off. There was a little nugget they talked about, for instance, like running back Joe Williams wasn't even on the Niners draft board and the scouts in the room were ripping him for quitting on his team in college, but Shanahan loved him and the forty Niners got him in the

fourth round. The article also is littered with offensive players praising Shanahan too high Heaven for how he diagnoses and takes advantage of weaknesses on other team defenses and the Joe Williams pick has a flip side. Shanahan did the same thing with George Kittle, who turned out to be it was mostly being receiver in history by time positive

art it was, it was largely positive. But it does point out I think Shanahan has more power than most head coaches, and I have said if they had to choose between one of Lynch and Shanahan, if there were problems, I think they would choose Shanahan. This supports that. But the bigger, the bigger issue at the front office and that staff is they didn't really consider taking Mahomes or Watson. They did not think they needed a quarterback in that

in that draft, they took Solomon Thomas. I mean that's not they already had Jimmy g No, they didn't have anyone. They drafted C. J. Beathard instead, and they took Solomon Thomas number three overall. And you know that's it's easy to go back and play hindsight. I mean that helped get Sashi Brown fire too. For that was that was the Trabisky trade, right yeah, okay, um moving on in the news and by the way, program reminder coming up next Rosenthal remembers an emotional return to the Ravens nest

only on the Around the NFL podcast. Did you brief correct that this was going to be turned into such a high octane thing or see, I was like, I've never well, I've never been to Baltimore before, but we have been to the Ravens. Uh. Steelers have signed coach Mike Tomlin to a contract extension, not as beefy as what Sean McVeigh got though. UH. This is a one year extension. The number um will keep him employed with the team or under a team control through the season.

Tom And of course now forty seven years old, hired in two thousand seven, uh and had a Super Bowl win in that first year. And it's interesting ten seasons since. Uh, They've always been competitive, They've had great teams, They've had good teams, never a bad team. Last year fell out of the playoff picture and there was some unrest obviously behind the scenes to the super stars of the team, Levy On Belle and Antonio Brown, both at odds with

the organization and now play elsewhere. How much heat do you put on the head coach for that? Apparently the Steelers still have enough faith in Tomlin to give him this vote of confidence and keep him from being a lame duck, but not true overwhelming. It's like sort of like the like only the Bengals allow a coach to go into the final year of his contract essentially like shout out to mc brown and Marvin Lewis last year,

but like so they almost have to do this. It's it's like the cautious Okay, let's see, like the duck that has like a wing that's a little wonky, it's not a lame duck. But it's like, right, well, he the Steelers have never fired a coach in the Super Bowl era and Tomlin has the highest winning percentage in franchise history. Twelve years without a losing record is no joke, but it's pretty amazing. I see. Also, it's like, yeah, who are you gonna get? That's better? Remember when you

have to identify that. But he's I think he's at a in terms of his legacy, at an interesting places his career because when I think of the Steelers, and I think when a lot of Steelers fans think of that team, it's the team issues that have happened. You've lost star players and you continually dropped the ball in the playoffs. You have to change that narrative. That Super Bowl feels like a long time ago. Yeah, I agree.

You could look back in five years and say that was the point at which he got it back on track, or you can say, oh, that that's when the wheels came off. So this is kind of the just go on never mind a very marks right, it's an important year. Movings and I are on the same page as always. That's always love it kissing cousins. Moving on, Russell Okun scary story. Uh, the Chargers don't have their starting left

tackle UM a serious health issue issue. It was revealed UH Russell Okung put out a UM statement on social media that he suffered a pulmonary embolism due to blood clots last month. Didn't just talk about mark blood clots. Clint Bowling retired because of this. Uh Okung suffered the health scare on June one and missed Man to Tory minicamp practices. UH. He was placed on the n f I list this week ahead of opening camp. There's no timetable for Okung. This pretty big deal from team standpoint

left tackle. Obviously, Here's what o' kung said, um, while near death type experiences are certainly a wake up call, I'm feeling great physically. It's not an ankle or shoulder. As soon as doctors clear me, my plans include blocking number seventeens Blindside, that's Philip Rivers all the way to Miami, where the Super Bowl will be played in February. I've I've had two issues with blood clots and they woke

me up about the whole thing. And the first one was my leg was massively swollen and I could barely walk and Adam rank down and our news and was like, why are you here? Go to the emergency room. And that time I got it treated quickly and it was fine, and they said it will never come back. The second time was last September when we came back from London. Because flights often if he's flying long distance, this is a concern for him. You have to be on blood thinners.

The second time, I had this pulmonary embolism thing, and it was blackout pain. It was the most painful thing I've ever experience, and you can barely breathe, and its like doctors were like, because it sneaks up on you. You could have died. It's very much a life for death thing, and I'm concerned a little bit the same with it had Clint Bowling stuck around. If you're on blood dinners and if you get these linemen are constantly dealing with blood loss and cuts that we don't even

know about. You can't stay in a game, I mean you can you You have to go to the emergency room right away. Typically this is a Super Bowl contender. The crumbled down the stretch last year in large part because of their offensive line, the right side of their offensive line in particular, and surprise me that they did nothing to upgrade that line in the off season. And now you've got your left tackle a bit of a question mark. Moving on, the Tennessee Tytoons did some business.

They agreed to terms with safety Kevin Byard on a five year, seventy point five million dollar extension with thirty one million and guarantees. Rap Sheet reported this. The team that announced it that it each the multi year deal with Bayard, who um it makes him the highest paid safety in the league, an average annual value over fourteen million. Passing Landon Collins of Washington and the Honey Badger in

Kansas City. So a guy entering his age twenty six season season, Um, Greg, you are fairly high in Tennessee as well, I believe, maybe not as high as West, but you believe that this team can contend and keep a big piece around. And Bayard's kind of like the perfect Titan. He's the guy. It's like if anyone makes a list of the best safeties and they forget to mention Bayard, Titans are fans are just like, have you ever heard of a guy named Kevin Byard? Really unless

you're Dion Sanderson. Really shows you're not paying attention. It's kind of true though, because he's like the highest paid player in his position, and how many people in America know much about Kevin Byard? You know what? Shout out to Kevin Byrd who has had a great, you know start to his career. Well, he's one of the start few star defensive backs that doesn't make the headlines weekly by shouting at everyone, nonstopping getting into fight, fake feuds

with people. I thought their second things like that. I thought they'd be much better last year. On paper, they look really good in the secondary. That should be the strength of their team. Kind of like the Patriots being able to match up with anyone but Malcolm Butler was a huge disappointment and they really weren't a good secondary and that that's where they need to get better. Um Dion by the way, and Will Brinson over at CBS

Every Buddy pointed it out on Twitter. It went from over the course of one calendar year, it went from Dion thinking that Kevin Byard was a fan on Twitter to Kevin Byard being the highest paid safety in the National Football League. Uh, look good, play good, play good, feel good, feel good, play good, play good, feel good. Uh, that's pretty funny, is pretty fast. The good thing is, if you're on Sanders, you kind of could just sweep it all side and say, don't care. Did he even

respond to it? I don't know, so nobody even knows. That's what you need to it. I believe he did. Actually I think he on his show. I think it came up. Did he eat he ate the poop? I think he did. Yeah, I mean he's he wasn't. He wasn't on as high horse about it from from whatever calling hey, young buck, that's the one's on me, something like that, you like. I mean, I don't know if those were the words, it's an unfortunately phrase eat the poop.

Coming from Evans Silva's Twitter account. Deon's quote to Kevin Byard, you stayed being a fan. I'll stay being the man. Not only did he think he was a fan, he capted by telling you that he is the man. The man look good by young Buck. You stay a fan. I mean you know this fan was you know, verified on Twitter with one followers. That's and it's like some people might be listening to this and being like, oh, you guys shouldn't like talk about Dion like that he's

a colleague. He's like no, as a call lead to us like a guy that works in I t s a colleague with Bill Gates, or like the different way, like the president with someone who works like like at the lowest levels of the Department of Transportation. Fourteen buildings away all right, time for eight o'clock to light. Every first round pick is under contract. Uh. Nick Bosa got a deal don with the Niners, and my Jets signed

number three overall pick, Quentin Williams. As usual as over nonsense with guaranteed money in the first year that they worked it out for everybody's in camp, first Bosa to not hold out in family history. One for three. Let's feel good. Alan Hearns we talked about on Wednesday, released by the Cowboys, suffered that terrible injury in the playoffs. Not out of work, Long signs a one year deal

with the Miami Dolphins. I wonder if, I don't know what, if he's gonna have a role in Miami, but maybe the Giants would have been a potential better spot for him. I don't know, but he signed a deal ready, so I'm not sure he'd be ab looted to make any team moving on. Oh, this is interesting. Speaking of injury news, Andrew Luck held out of team drills as a precaution.

He's got a calf injury, and the team cited what happened to Kevin Durant in the NBA Finals wes uh in the NBA playoffs where he suffered the calf injury in the second round of the playoffs. They held him out, brought it back, and he popped the achilles. So they used that as a guy to take it easy with their start time of the year, to be overly cautious so you can get away with it. And Tom Pellisaro reported just minutes ago that he was back on the

field during seven and seven work today. Uh. Speaking of seven on seven work, Emmanuel Sanders back to work. The Broncos receiver participated in the drills on Wednesday, the first team drills he's done since tearing as achilles last December. Greg Rosenthal, they need him. They don't have much, But I'm concerned about their wide receivers. A little tell me more and more thirty two coming off a torn achilles, they almost made my finnest position grew list. A lot

of question marks with that wide receiver. Patriots have question marks on their wide receiver. Cord Danny Etling has moved to wide receiver. A seventh round pick in two thousand eighteen. He was on the practice squad last year. Uh, former quarterback turn wide receiver. You're excited, Greg, I am in a missed opportunity here by the Rhoda World writer who mentions Terrell Prior and someone else's recent quarterway. Hey, former quarterback with the Patriots turning into wide receiver. A little

white guy I ever heard of, Julian Edelman. Lock it up, well that the thing is with he this guy, he is a totally different body. Everyone saying, no, it's the next Julian Edelman. Well, uh, interesting development in Miami Dolphins training camp, where Kalen Ballache Ballagelage was the starting running back in team drills at Friday's practice. This is a trend this week. New coach Brian Flora is getting tricky.

I loved his game against the Vikings last year. I wish you, I wish you could expand that, but that's it. Go watch this game against it. You know you want to finish your thought. No, I think it's I if I if Brian Flores is gonna run like run his offense like the Patriots, You're gonna have four or five of them. They're never gonna be one. It's not one primary starter. They're all gonna play. Hank was talking Bellage up last year. He's a big guys, but maybe he's

never gonna be. It's gonna be even though we lost our championship game. On Wednesday night, the Shield Reflection ceremony celebration will be held at the old Zeuster's backyard. Everyone here is invited, obviously, including handsome Hank, who has no ties really to the Shield, but he's a friend of ours. Finance here though, yes he's a financier, but he's in England right now with his family. So this party one question, would you deem it um safe for young children to

be during daylight hours? Yeah? Earlier on, yes, I have some concerns, like just sort of knowing the Brassie's like not a pro you know, I think anything any one of these people after dark would be I mean, your children will be there, so it has now they're gonna be locked. They're gonna be locked in the room for nine hours. I'm just gonna like, maybe they're not. My children will be there, but we're gonna get a babysitter to help out. That's a veteran move, by the way.

Outside two developments pulling into the NFL media compound today. One the mural that we've talked about from time to time on the show, featuring a host of all pros in the NFL after about a two year run, is now being taken down. Rob Gronkowski is on the mural with the Patriots. I hope it wasn't because of that because he'll be back in a couple of months. But also Antonio Brown with the Steelers obviously no longer there

no longer relevant time wise, so that's been stripped. Also, Greg, you saw the same icon walking in I believe he was. He had just exited a Mercedes coupe, uh walking with him management member the Great Al Michael's I want to see what he's doing, what he's Maybe he's taping too, menifow one hundred stuff, because that's what I've noticed. There's a lot of celebs plan to come through these doors or have been coming. I think they're taping some top secret NFL had a few of them coming on our

show potentially hopefully. And you know, you work in the NFL, as we've been lucky enough to do for several years now, you see a lot of stars up close and personal in the sports world, and it loses a little bit of its luster over time. You don't get the same type of feeling Alan Al I feel like he's an uncle that I've never met and I've always admired. So he's still kind of has the juice when you see it's like, oh, that's how Michael's the NFL one thing.

It's interesting. We had Keith Crossrow I think is his name for menif Bill Films at our Talent summit. He made it clear they're not looking to meet standards for this thing. They are trying to set standards for sports and what goes into sports. List. I mean, when you have a show that's hosted by Bill Belichick, Rich Eisen and Collinsworth, what that's what a trio? Do you think Belichick gets paid for that? Oh? Yes, it's a good question. I mean too much that whatever it is, it's he likes,

probably below what he's worth. Like it's it's probably below what he's worth. But yes, because I mean I think if you're why wouldn't you be paid for that? It would be kind of salting to suggest that he'd do it for free. You have to fly out and you and provide what I'm sure company is a lot of hurting for money. He did a whole day's worth the show. He has like six shows or something. You're almost certainly

right by the way mark. But the way you said it was such confidence, like, Oh he likes money, Well he does. I mean, I think he's probably been paid coach for a long long time. Typic clarify something for the the like, do I argue that he should be well, I think he like he doesn't talk about it much. But I'm sure I'm excited about that because when he's done, when he's done some media stuff, it's been good. I need more money. This is not the top one players

of two thousand nineteen. We're talking about the top one all time. Very exciting, also very exciting. It's time Rosenthal remembers a return to the Ravens nest holy around the podcast. All right, Greg, let's get to it. They take you on a plane. We gotta make this expend before it worth it. I know what. They put you on a plane. They sent you to Ravens camp. You did did you do? Did some my t c did? Uh? You know? It's

a very quiet town, Owings Mills. I like that. I like seeing like a different little part of the world, you know, shout out to the Peruvian Chicken Place and open Owensville's big fan. Um. But my I don't know my my takeaway. Should we just like go through it and all about your trip? Because the Ravens, to me and I think we're all on the same page with this and Mark you see them as a threat to the Browns potential rise to the top. They've seen north.

This is an interesting team. This is a team. I agree. I think they're more interesting than any Ravens team I can basically since they drafted Joe Flacco, because it's not just that, not just that they're they're going to be the most unique offense in the league to prepare for and the toughest. But they have more turnover on defense than they've had since they won the Super Bowl in two thousand, So it's a huge turnover on both sides.

And the thing that strikes me between Mark what Mark Ingram said and watching them and talking is just a variety on offensive running place. And I know they did a great job with that last year, but I think they believe that with a full offseason. They did it all on the fly. And Roman wasn't even the coordinator

last year. It was just kind of doing the running game with him too able to install an entire offense around Lamar Jackson and Mark Ingram and Gus Edwards in that offensive line that the Ingram was saying, the amount of running plays is just outrageous. The way they can get too different running plays with a billion different formations, and watching practice you could see it. You never saw the same formation two times in a row. There's so

many different combinations. They're gonna have two three tight ends on the field every snap. And because Lamar Jackson is such a unique running talent and those plays, I just think it's a great combination and it's just gonna be weird and it's gonna be different and tough to prepare for. It was a year ago when you know, it was question whether John Harbaugh would remain as coach if things

didn't go well. And the one thing I love about them, and I love any football team that decides this is not working, We're gonna switch identities in the middle of the season and they became a completely different operation. Two questions,

do you does anything concern you about? I know it's one game, but the Chargers playoff game and how they put that the hooks on the on the ravens, and what happens to this offense when they get into games where they have to throw the football, when you when all these varieties of run plays don't work and you're in the deep into the second quarter, and you know it's not gonna get a lot better now, Because to me, that's one game, one game in which they had about

the same amount of yards of the Chargers to two offenses that couldn't do much of anything a game. By the way that Lamar Jackson led too long touchdown drives at the end of the game. No one seems to give you any credit for had the ball with the chance to goin at the end of the game. I'm concerned that he's inconsistent accuracy wise. And then another takeaway watching practice, just like that wide receiver group is so wide open. You have Willie Snead and about seven or

eight other guys depending on who you talk to. Different people expect guys to step up. You'd be great if Hollywood Brown steps right, and he's he's never practiced as an NFL player yet. I mean, that's kind of a lot to expect. So you have Jordan Laslie's, you know, it's a lot of Seth Roberts taking first team snaps. That's my Miles Boykin, who's you know, there's so much Suster had a big long touchdown. They've been talking up

Jalil Scott behind the scenes. It's kind of like one of those guys that they think is gonna make an impact. We'll see, but they have so many different guys at wide receiver and yet no, you have really no one you can trust other in sneed. You got a good look at Lamar, Yeah, I mean it was one It's one practice. He was pretty erratic. I mean that's the thing watching him. He can make every throw, but but he doesn't, but he misses some of the easier ones.

I think he's really good in terms of his pocket movement. I think they're gonna have him, you know, throwing on the run a lot. But you know r G three was more consistent, you know, for it was one day, but it was it was interesting to see in two thousand nineteen, you know, players walking off the field the first day of training game was a great scene. The

crowd was it was awesome there. I mean they were chanting during training camp, like you know, just in at random moments, except for one guy who was like heckling Lamar, Jack's why would you show up to training camp? He was really hecky. But I heard of one guy goes like who are you throwing it to Lamar? And he like made one other comp I was like, what is wrong with alcohol? No, that is it's really It's like it's like I'm not surprised there's a guy like that.

It was one guy, it was like nine. It wasn't a great I mean, I went. I went to a couple of Jets training camps at Hofstra University in Long Island, and and and we've been to RAMS camp. It is typically a love fest. It was the watch in terms of like flapping and making little chance and stuff. They were the most active training camp crowd I've ever seen. But Lamar was pretty he was frustrated because he was

having uh an up and down day. Ole there for a word from our sponsor coming up on the broadcast the next episode with Ricky Hollywood and mm VP Shadowy League figure in My Boss, Sarah Parsons joins Erica a little teaser Erica for the show. Yeah, it was really really great. She's the HB. I c here a NFL network, So I can't say what that means. I know what you're saying, but I feel like I could get me in hot water with the HR department. She's the head

broad in charge. It doesn't all have one to tend. How funny, what sort of doesn't a woman run NFL on network? Though? So you know, technically I think you have to. She's the HB. I c of the old Zouser for surefenses. Yeah. She also said that that her favorite broadcast episode was Chris and Lakisha. Really, all of you guys have been on it, so I don't know what that means, but it means I'm changing departments. Um, all right, there you go. Check it out the broadcast

every week. Now back to an emotional return to the ven. It is a beautiful setting, Steve Weiste. It's got to be one of the nicest, just training facilities, the building, everything, the big Raven you know, carved painted into the grass. Like there's something about football in in July in August that just gets here. Grant Ravens romance is already annoying to me. They're more interesting when a team goes from uninteresting. I mean this is going to until they're finally eliminated.

We're going to be dealing with this weekes his teams. That are his teams, the one team I would refer you to never. I've always been pretty anti Raven actually, because t is not great with the Browns rise or the timing is excellent. If you ask me, I love it. It will be fun to watch because the Chargers were

your team last year. I mean, you're cheating on the paths with now clearly it's the team of Baltimore, which is the team that, true as a Patriots fan, has annoyed me the most over the years, has been the Ravens for a couple of those performances. Here's the thing about the concept of an interesting football team. They only last as long as you went right. It only lasted

as long as you know. They start the season with the Cardinals and the Dolphins, which they have to be thinking the scheduling guys for at because I think it allows them to kind of ease into the season. People are people are worried about Lamar, but it's like, yes, he's not as good a passer as uh, they're consistent as he would like. He was a twenty one year old starter. And the difference is he's a better runner

than any of the running quarterbacks before. So it's like, okay, running quarterbacks even worked well, they haven't been the same as Lamar Jackson, especially in this NFL. What you're saying, he's a better running quarterback than Michael Vick. I think he's the best one since Michael Vick and maybe better. He was on pace to shatter the rushing rookie rushing record. They had the most successful yeah part, and I don't think that makes him a better runner than Michael Vick.

The way the ease that they picked up seventy eight yards from him, I mean they had the best eight games stretching forty years running. He turned Gus Edwards to a top five back. Gus Edwards outgained Zeko Elliot, Christian McCaffrey after Lamar Jackson took over anything until that. It's a great landing spot for mark Ingram and greg Or. You know, I'm excited to why greg growing. But part of it that I'm into them too is the defense.

Like right now, Patrick on Watsu is the guy taking over for ray Lewis and spot and like, and he to me is like a symbol of the team. I mean, he's calling place. He never even played linebacker until he was a prose Now he's, you know, one of the leaders of that group, and it's like a totally remade group. That's kind of a mystery. Do you think they are the favorite to win the North in your mind? Now? I think the Steelers and the Browns, I would say, are more of a favorite. But I think they're all.

It's not much separating those three any other takeaways from your time. My my strongest opinion is less about the time there, although he had a great day, Mark Andrews, but more about watching the Lamar Jackson tape. That Mark Andrews, to me, is like an unbelievable making the leap candidate to be a pro bowler right now, to gain eight hundred to a thousand yards and be a badass blocker, and for him and Hayden Hurst and Nick Boyle to

cause a lot of problems. And I think that's kind the centerpiece of their often even though it's it's Lamar and the tight ends and Ingram and all the different

things you can do with those guys. And Andrews, I guess because he was a late, you know, third round pick, and he was on the Ravens didn't get a ton of of But for a rookie tight end to look that good, like I am expecting him to be a badass, Well, he's in the right offense because Lamar Jackson throws almost exclusively to his tight ends and rarely throws outside the

numbers or rarely completes passes outside the numbers. Anyway, I do have a hot take on the Baltimore you know, um on the on the sun in Baltimore, so you know this time you're you know, it's humid people, a lot of a lot of complete that mid Atlantic sun. I mean, it doesn't all the candle to the West Coast sun. I get. Give me eighty three on the East coast over seventy three or even seventy one in terms of sunny strength on the West coast. It's powerful.

It's less powerful. I think that's science because it's like farther away from the equator, you can you can stand out in that East coast. Son. It's true. I was, you know, I was in Massachusetts too when it was degrees. You can be out in that sun for a little while. You're out here and it's seventy two degrees and that thing, that thing is gonna burn it. You reported that you showed up there and you forgot all your underwear. Also, well that's true. I had to you know, yeah, I

wore what I decided war. I had an extra pair of you know, athletic shorts, so I just used that as my underwear and then you know, I hit the target. This is actually the second road trip this season that that's target. I had a target, and uh, you know, but what did you wear one day one? I just went with like my running shorts underneath. Actual. I shared this nugget before the show, but I feel like the

audience would like it to note as well. There was this guy that I went to high school with named Burger, who loved playing basketball, and uh, you know, he just was all about it that every day at school he wore jim shorts under his jeans in case a game broke out. I've done that before, just in case. Sounds like a man with a vibrant social life. It's a lot of layers. Um last thought connected to the Ravens because she wrote that making the lead piece as well.

Greg Let's do a little over under twenty nineteen. Lamar Jackson over under three thousand passing yards overs un West over under fourteen passing yards seven. He had more yards for a tempt than Andrew luck by the way last year, and Matthew Stafford Lamar Jackson. Where would but Lamar Jackson if you had a peg? I know yardage isn't the indicator necessarily of greatness, but I think he's a pastor passing yards somewhere in the undred to three thousand yard

ring fourteen and a half touchdown passes. I want to clarify, I think he'll probably be injured at some point as much as he runs too, so that factors into my statistical guess. All right, twelve and a half starts. Wow, over over over on all these paces from last fourteen and a half touchdowns, yea over passing touchdowns. But you want a second year quarterback to be better than his previous pace. Right now, I'm saying that that these are

pretty low bars. These are nine rushing yards over whoa Okay, okay, what do you think mark over? Because I'm gonna seven starts. So you see you see four thousand combined yards passing and rushing. You see a guy that has maybe thirty total touchdowns. You see a guy that's basically a young VIC. I think it's gonna be a young star. I mean he was. That's the thing that did. I don't know

if it was that game or what. I feel like the bar or the like moved for him so much like change, like moving the field the first three quarters of that playoff loss. And I know he was picked up his numbers and made it look he was, but so is Marshall Yonda. Marshall Yonda was terrible. The offensive line was terrible, the running game was terrible. They were all terrible. The whole game counts too, Like to me, the fact that he had made some badass throws in

the fourth quarter like counts for something. And he was a rookie, so I'm not. And all these running plays you're talking about, that's fine. But the flip side of that is every defensive coordinator in the league has spent the off season trying to figure out this defense is not going to be as easy as but it's gonna be a totally different offense, I think. And he's a game. Their owner even said that he's not going to run as much as he did last year. Um, all right,

good stuff, Thank you, Greg. That was as emotional as I thought it would be. You know, it feels like it really you didn't grow up in that area, but it was no I felt a connection. I move there some day, probably not, but I've never been there. And I'll tell you, like you know residents in there's some strange things going on at the residents and like spirits like just people that have clearly been living there for like months, it seems to have their dogs. They leave

their dogs. No, but I just the whole vibe. It was quiet. I liked it. It was different if you're a long term resident at the Residents in and the dogs staying home during the day and I don't know where you're going. I think you want sideways at some point your life. I'm not saying you're a bad person or your life's bad or whatever. It's just maybe things haven't gone to plant they have. Let's settle down on

dogs to begin with. Please you know you when you put the sign on your door that says do not disturb. They have like very much many different options for those at the Residents, including one that's like pooch in the room or something like that, like leave it alone, my

dogs in the room. You were you were, oh, look out that you would think at some point that you're staying in a better hotel, like if it's a hotel allows dogs, which is weird the way, because like, all right, you can bring your dog, and then the next person that goes in there, I don't need that, don't They try to put people with dogs into the rooms. That

have already had dogs in. Yeah, I think there's a convention and you're you gotta put everyone and everyone in your in a room with all this like golden shepherd hair on your pillow in the Sicilia. I don't stay at the shooting residents in with the dogs. Yeah. I stayed a kennel so I could be close to the team headquarters. I just wanted to be like two miles away. That was the choice. Get some points and travel with a dog. Where are you supposed to stay? Don't travel

with the dog. Well, that's not the answer because it's not right and that for a dog to travel either, a dog needs stability. It needs to have For me, no, I love dogs like. The reason I don't have a dog is I want a bigger yard to have a dog. I want to be home all the time. I want people home. A dog shouldn't be stuffed dog underneath. And you can travel with your dog, you can, but it

doesn't mean you should. What if you're on a road trip driving for ten hours and you have the dog with you, that's a one off thing, that's fine, But if it's if you're continually traveling with a dog, I don't really count like the eight pound dogs. That's barely a dog to me. I mean, like, don't be a traveling salesman with a dog or a truck driver with a dog. I don't know, just because what most other

things would be a one off. The dog is stable home where it lives most of its life, and it's not being put through airport security and things of that nature. If you're a truck driver, you gotta have a Bassett Hound in the front seat. I mean I wouldn't, but but others mind, Fred, wasn't that east bounding town. We'll be back next week with three more shows, so make sure you join us. And uh we are bat We're in full swing now. I have a little little tiny

weekend opener to play for you. Okay, it's just a little vibe. We're getting into the weekend. Stop telling me that the seasons here and we can't have fund as human beans anymore. M hm, hut it up, turn it off. Yes there is. That's Homer Simpson's dad. I love it. The Shields Remembrance slash reflection ceremony zeus or manner on Saturday, um and we'll be back Monday, God willing. That's it.

Dan handsOn signing off four Quiet Storm, the Mailman, the old Boss, Ricky Hollywood, behind the glass, Ricky, you coming, You promise, yes, I will be there. There will hell to pay, well, rain fire if you're not there till Monday